Japan...yes

Back in 2012, the longtime NHL doormats literally shocked everyone out of their socks by first sneaking into the playoffs on the final day of the season, and then storming through the postseason with surprising ease, losing only four games out of twenty en route to becoming the first No. 8 seed ever to grab pro hockey's biggest prize. They didn't simply win the Stanley Cup that year. Rather, they bludgeoned everyone into submission along the way to seize it.

But what the Kings accomplished this postseason as a No. 5 seed was arguably even more impressive and memorable than the last time around. First, they became only the fifth team ever in the history of professional sports in North America to rally from three games down to win a seven-game series, defeating the heavily favored San Jose Sharks. In doing so, the team -- in the words of Helene Elliot, the longtime Kings correspondent for the Los Angeles Times -- "[set] a tone for a playoff journey that was as nerve-racking as it was unique."

And it was certainly one of a kind, at that. The Kings became the first team in NHL history to not only avoid playoff elimination seven times in a single postseason, but to also win three Game 7s on the road. In the process, they knocked off the NHL Western Conference's No. 1 seed, the crosstown town rival Anaheim Ducks, and sent packing the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

Further, the Kings once again proved themselves to be true road warriors, tying the NHL record for most playoff road wins in a single postseason with eight, a mark they first set two years ago. They also became the first team in NHL history to win three successive postseason games after trailing in each contest by two goals, the first to win three successive postseason games in overtime, and the first to win three overtime games in the Stanley Cup Finals.

All hail the Kings! Who knew that Los Angeles would ever become the new hotbed of pro hockey?

Going into the 8th inning of the first game of the 2014 College World Series in Omaha between Texas and UC-Irvine, ESPN's announcers just had to mention that Longhorn pitcher was have a great game, throwing a two-hit, 1-0 shutout to that point.

Well, wouldn't you know it, within only a couple of minutes the Anteaters had tagged the poor guy for five straight hits and three runs. The Longhorns have just gone meekly in order in the bottom of the 8th, and now trail 3-1, going into the ninth.